# Panca-Tattva *The five principal associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu representing aspects of the Absolute Truth* ## The Five Forms (Panca-Tattva) ### 1. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu - [[index/entries/caitanya-mahaprabhu|Caitanya Mahaprabhu]] - The Supreme Personality of Godhead - [[index/N#nimāi paṇḍita caitanya as|Nimāi Paṇḍita]] - His childhood name - [[index/V#viśvambhara defined|Viśvambhara defined]] - Another name - [[index/V#viśvambhara caitanya as|Viśvambhara, Caitanya as]] - [[index/G#gaurasundara lord|Gaurasundara, Lord]] - Golden Lord - Krishna in the form of a devotee - Appeared in Bengal in the 15th century - Golden avatar of Krishna ### 2. Sri Nityananda Prabhu - [[index/entries/nityananda-lord|Nityananda Prabhu]] - The first expansion - Balarama in Caitanya's form - Merciful distributor of Krishna's love - Goes everywhere preaching - Avadhuta, beyond social conventions ### 3. Sri Advaita Acharya - [[index/entries/advaita-acarya|Advaita Acharya]] - The incarnation aspect - Initiated the movement through prayer - Mahavishnu in Caitanya's pastimes - Brought Caitanya to earth - Senior-most among associates ### 4. Sri Gadadhara Pandit - [[index/entries/gadadhara-pandita|Gadadhara Pandit]] - The internal potency - Radharani's bhava (mood) - Intimate associate of Caitanya - Expert in bhakti-yoga - Keeper of Bhagavatam manuscript ### 5. Sri Srivasa Thakur - [[index/S#Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura|Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura]] - The marginal potency - Householder devotee - Host of Caitanya's pastimes - Symbol of family devotion - Leader of sankirtan ## The Panca-Tattva Together ### As a Unified Principle - [[index/entries/panca-tattva|Pañca-tattva]] - The five truths - [[index/entries/panca-tattva-mantra|Pañca-tattva mantra]] - Their invocation - Complete manifestation of divinity - Full spectrum of devotional relationships ### The Panca-Tattva Prayer "śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda" ## Associated Great Devotees ### Haridasa Thakura - [[index/entries/haridasa-thakura|Haridāsa Ṭhākura]] - Namacharya - [[index/H#haridāsa brahmacārī|Haridāsa Brahmacārī]] - Greatest chanter of holy names - Muslim-born Vaishnava saint ### The Gaura-gana - [[index/G#gaura gaṇoddeśa dīpikā|Gaura gaṇoddeśa dīpikā]] - Text listing associates - [[index/entries/gaura-ganoddesa-dipika-cited|Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā cited]] - [[index/G#gaura candrodaya|Gaura candrodaya]] - Text on Caitanya - All associates of Lord Caitanya ## Meaning of the Tattvas Each member of the Panca-Tattva represents: - Different aspects of divinity - Different levels of consciousness - Different types of relationship with Krishna - Different approaches to devotion ## The Panca-Tattva Mission The five forms together represent: - Complete manifestation of Krishna consciousness - Perfect balance of all devotional attitudes - The complete divinity in human form - The full potential of bhakti-yoga - Distribution of nama-sankirtan worldwide ## Historical Context ### Pre-Panca-Tattva - Advaita prayed for Krishna to come - Nityananda prepared the ground ### The Panca-Tattva Era - Together they introduced the Hare Krishna movement - Distributed Krishna consciousness widely - Established the foundation for modern bhakti ### Followers - Founded the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition - Led by the Six Goswamis - Continues to modern ISKCON ## Related Topics - [[index/personalities/caitanya-associates|Caitanya Associates]] - Broader group - [[index/personalities/six-goswamis|Six Goswamis]] - Appointed successors - [[index/personalities/acaryas|Acaryas]] - Spiritual teachers in lineage - [[index/personalities/devotees|Devotees]] - All devotees --- *This index is under development. Additional entries from Śrīla Prabhupāda's books, lectures, conversations and letters will be added as the indexing work progresses.*